The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Nemesia plant grown as an ornamental for use in garden and landscape borders, or in containers. The new variety is known botanically as Nemesia foetens and will be referred to hereinafter by the variety name ‘Easter Bonnet’.
‘Easter Bonnet’ resulted from a formal breeding program begun by the inventor in 1998 at her nursery in West Sussex, United Kingdom. The purpose of the breeding program is to produce new varieties of Nemesia that exhibit compact habit and new flower colors and color combinations.
In 2011, the inventor conducted a controlled cross-pollination between two unreleased and unpatented selections of Nemesia from the inventor's breeding program, namely Nemesia code number ‘1100’ (unpatented) as the male parent and Nemesia code number ‘1156’ (unpatented) as the female parent. ‘Easter Bonnet’ was selected by the inventor in 2012 for its attractive bi-colored flowers and prominent orange-yellow eye. In addition, ‘Easter Bonnet’ exhibits an upright compact rounded habit, medium-green leaves, and strongly fragrant flowers.
‘Easter Bonnet’ was first asexually propagated by the inventor in 2012 in an unheated greenhouse at the inventor's nursery in West Sussex, United Kingdom using softwood cuttings. The inventor has determined that ‘Easter Bonnet’ is stable and uniform, and reproduces true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction via softwood cuttings.